Knockdown scaffolding



Jan. 20, 1970 J. TORCH ETAL 3,490,559

KNOCKDOWN SCAFFOLDING Filed Aug. 22. 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 2' INVENTORS J'bmv 7522c BY fasAe 6. Mwreo United States Patent 3,490,559 IQJOCKDOWN SCAFFOLDING John Torch, 2920 Green Vista Drive, and Edgar G. Whited, 40 Dellwood Drive, both of Fairborn, Ohio Filed Aug. 22, 1968, Ser. No. 754,563 Int. Cl. E06c 1/00; E04g 1/00, 3/00 US. Cl. 182194 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE BACKGROUND AND FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to construction methods and equipment and, more particularly, to scaffolding for use in construction of buildings and other structures.

Knockdown scaffolding comprising various types of interconnected framework has been used heretofore to provide a support on which planking is laid to provide an elevated work platform or walkway. Difliculties have been encountered due to the fact that such platforms or walkways have been interrupted by bracing or support members thus requiring the workmen to climb over such barriers and/ or requiring work materials to be lifted over such barriers as the work progresses from one end of the scaffolding to the other. Attempts to overcome these difiiculties have been successful but the resulting scaffolding has been complicated, cumbersome, difiicult to erect, and difficult to make adjustments required in order to change the level of the platform or walkways as the work progresses.

Accordingly, an object of the invention is to provide scaffolding that is mechanically simple and may be readily assembled on a job site from relatively few, relatively light, and easily handled component parts.

Another object is to provide scaffolding adapted to support elevated work platforms and/or walkways uninterrupted by the scaffolding structure and which can be readily modified by a single workman to change the disposition of a walkway from one level to another.

A further object is to provide a scaffolding having relatively few component parts which are fabricated from standard commercially available materials and which may be easily erected on rough, uneven terrain without the necessity of leveling the area surrounding the job site and without the necessity of employing highly skilled erection labor.

Still another object is to provide scaffolding in which leveling adjustments can be easily made to a ladder-like frame independently of ladder rung spacing for erection of scaffolding on uneven terrain with safety and stability.

SUMMARY In general, scaffolding embodying the present invention includes one or more frames each comprising ladderlike elements secured to a transverse support member adapted to be supported at one end by a foundation or other wall and supported at its opposite end by a groundengaging support adjustably and releasably connected to the frame.

DESCRIPTION The above and other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of an end portion of a scaffold illustrating part of a vertically disposed frame from which horizontally disposed planks or boarding may be supported;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation of the scaffolding frame member;

FIGURE 3 is an elevation view of the ground engaging support member; and,

FIGURE 4 is an elevational view of a section of scaffolding connected together with longitudinally extending bracing.

Referring to the drawings, it will be seen that the general arrangement of the invention includes a number of upright frames 10 disposed in parallel, aligned space relationship.

Each of frames 10 comprises two laterally spaced tubular uprights 11, 12 that are held in laterally spaced parallel relationship by a number of vertically spaced horizontal cross pieces 13 which are welded or otherwise affixed to uprights 11, 12. At the lower ends of uprights 11, 12, there is a laterally extending cross brace 14 which is also welded or otherwise aflixed to uprights 10, 11 and additionally projects laterally and outwardly beyond the right hand side of frame 10, FIGURE 2. At the outwardly projecting extremity of cross brace 14 there is welded or otherwise aflixed thereto a support member 15 having a lower surface 16 for engaging a surface such as a floor or the top of a foundation wall upon which the side walls of a building structure are supported.

As best shown in FIGURE 2, the right hand ends of cross pieces 13 are afiixed to upright 12 so that the ends of the cross pieces are left exposed. Advantageously, cross pieces 13 also may be tubular so that a rod or tubular member 17 can be slidably mounted in one or more of cross pieces 13 and thus may project therefrom toward the wall adjacent to which the scaffolding is erected. Thus, the rod or tubular member may be extended and serve as a support for walk plank 18 at a desired level while similar members 17 at other levels may be pushed back and received within cross pieces 13 so as not to impede activities of workmen. An adjustable support member 19 is welded or otherwise affixed to a vertical support member 20.

In order to provide for adjustability of disposition of support 19 relative to support surface 16, a plurality of openings 21 are provided by cross drilling member 20 at suitably spaced intervals. A shear pin 23 is normally carried in opening 21 at the top of member 20.

Member 20 is slidably mounted in telescopic relation within tubular member 11 and support 19 may be disposed in any desired disposition relative to support surface 16 by inserting shear pin 23 in a desired one of openings 21 near the lower end of member 20 and the bottom of member 11 then bears upon and is supported by shear pin 23.

As shown in the drawings, support 19 is disposed perpendicular to the longitudinal extent of brace 14 and thereby imparts considerable stability to erected frame 10. If desired, additional stability may be provided and it is within the scope of the present invention to affix member 15 perpendicular to brace 14. Still further stability may be imparted to the erected scaffolding by connecting adjacent frame members 10 by longitudinally extending bracing 25 connected to adjacent upright members 11 by any convenient connecting means 24. For example, connecting means 24 may be one of a number of commercially available clamps for connecting together tubular members at various desired angles. However, the invention is not necessarily limited to such connecting means.

From the foregoing description, erection and use of the scaffolding should be readily apparent from the foregoing description. Additionally, it is to be noted that the workmen can readily adjust the walk plan 18 to any desired level merely by pulling member 17 outwardly from a desired one of the cross pieces 13. Additionally, the cross pieces 13, in addition to serving as a latter, also serve as a support for an additional plank or platform on which the workmen may place tools or other materials.

While a particular embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the invention, and it is intended in the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications that fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A knockdown scaffolding end frame comprising a tubular vertical member,

a ground-engaging member slidably positioned in telescoping relation within said vertical member,

means adjustably positioning and releasably connecting said ground-engaging member to said vertical membet,

a support member connected at one end to and extending transversely from said vertical member and having at its opposite end a wall-engaging surface adapted to be supported by a foundation wall or the like,

ladder means including a plurality of vertically spaced apart tubular members connected to and extending transversely from said vertical member above said support member,

support means positioned between said vertical member and said wall-engaging surface and including a plurality of members individually interconnected in ver- 4 tical alignment between adjacent ones of said transversely-extending vertically-spaced members and be tween said support member and the adjacent transversely-extending vertically-spaced member, and platform support means slidably mounted in telescoping relation within any desired one of said transverselyextending vertically-spaced members and movable between a retracted position and an extended platformsupporting position. 2. End frame according to claim 1 wherein said platform supporting means is supported solely by said one transversely-extending vertically-spaced member.

3. Knockdown scaffolding comprising a plurality of end frames according to claim 1, and additionally including bracing means interconnected between adjacent end frames.

References Cited UNITED STATESVPATENTS 2,410,330 10/ 1946 Ashenfelter 1821 84 2,923,374 2/1960 Harwell 182178 3,004,621 10/1961 Yench 182118 FOREIGN PATENTS 741,706 8/1966 Canada. 1,050,574 12/ 1966 Great Britain.

REINALDO P. MACHADO, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 182229, 184, 119 

